632 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[March 1, 190L 
were brought to auction, and realised the average 
price of 6|d per ]b. 
Verily, the puzzles of the Tea Trade are 
interminable : just as we might expect China 
tea to disappear with our own clean sweet 
leaf down to 3|d, sharp city men in the 
trade, say "Now is the time to pay atten- 
tion to Chinas." What does it mean? 
Next for some more counsel to our planters 
which we find this time in — 
McMEEKIN & CO.'S NOTES ON INDIAN AND 
CEYLON TEAS, MONTH OP JAN. 1901. 
Indirectly the business of the Tea trade has been 
serionsly affected by the war in South Africa. The 
derangements caused by the large clearance prior to 
the production of last year's Budget, and by the im- 
position then of an extra Duty were not fully over- 
come when another movement to pay Duty in anti- 
cipation of this year's Budget set in. During January, 
the total of the Duty paid on all Tea was £740,000, 
while the monthly average for 190O, (taking the whole 
at 6d per lb) was only £520,000. Consequently, 
£220,000 of the available capital resources of the trade 
isnowloekedup in Duties beyond current requirements, 
and, in addition to that the whole value of the Tea has 
had to be paid over to the Importers in order to cleat 
it from Hond, as now required by His Majesty's Cus- 
toms, this would absorb about £250,000 more. The 
lock-up in question is doubtless responsible for some 
failling off in the activity of the demand towards 
the close of the month. 
The proposal to restrict output has been seriously 
taken up by most of the larger producers of both 
Indian and Ceylon Tea, and if the scheme suggested 
ia carried out there should soon be little excess 
beyond reasonable requirements to deal with. It is 
to be hoped that production will not be cut down too 
much, as anything approaching to inadequate sup- 
plies would certainly lead to speculative dealings, 
which have always proved bid for the trade. 
Not only may speculation set in at home if 
Indian and Ceylon shipments fall oft' much ; 
but are not China and Java exports to 
London bound to increase ? Therealljr great 
cloud overshadowing the future in our 
opinion lies in the area of young tea coming 
into bearing, especially in India — 11,000 
acres in one lilock on the " Kanan Devan" 
property in North Travancore ; 2,000 acres 
more in Travancore proper and perhaps 
between 20,000 and 25,000 acres of tea in 
Northern India on well-selected soil. On 
the other hand, many gardens in the poorer 
parts of Sylhet and other Indian districts 
must contract their plucking area, and this 
leads us to consider the case of our older 
and poorer estates in Ceylon. Well does a 
London merchant (with no personal interest, 
we believe, in such poor old estates) write 
to us by this mail with reference to the 
" survival of the fittest " theory : — 
" Terrible times for tea growers. Combination is not 
philanthropy and the retention in cultivation of the 
poorer estates is the safety of those less poor. If 
poor places shut up there is plenty of good land to 
be had in India ! " 
Here is another risk before Ceylon ; but 
surely no capitalist will be so foolish as to put 
money in opening more tea land during the 
next three or four years ? The supporters of the 
"10 per cent reduction of area" plan allege 
that it gives great security against any tea- 
planting extension ; but all the same, we are 
not convinced that it must be the duty 
of every proprietor in Ceylon to subscribe 
to this plan. As we have already indicated, 
we should like to see tea estate proprietors 
have an option between the following answers 
(to the P. A. circular) or something like 
them : — 
(1) We, or I, agree to abandon for the year 1901 
one-tenth of my plucking area ; — or 
(2) I agree to make one-tenth of my output into 
green tea, in place of reducing plucking extent; — or 
(3) I cannot consent to reduce plucking area ; but 
I guarantee that my estate sends one-tenth lees 
outturn or crop into the niarkat during 1901 than iu 
1900 ;-or 
(4) Inasmuch as my estate gave no more crop in 
1900 than in 1899 and lUerefore did not contribate 
to the overproduction, I cannot agree to any one 
of the above proposals, but intend to pluck carefully 
and get no more than an average crop daring 1901. 
Surely if theabove programme, were univer- 
sally adopted— that is, if one or other of the 
answers were sent in, signed and honoral)ly 
maintained — the objec*" in view as regard's 
" combination " and a reduction in produc- 
tion, especially of common teas, would be 
attained. 
As to Mr. Robert H. Elliot's " currency " 
remedy, we are quite with him in realizing 
the great benefit of a cheaper rupee, to 
producers and exporters ; l)ut what about the 
dislocation of Banking, Trade and Revenue ? 
Is there the slightest chance of reversing a 
Currency policy so deliberately arrived at, 
and which from the point of view of thi offi- 
cial, the banker and the merchant, has given 
such special satisfaction ? If Mr. Elliot thinks 
there is, he will agree that the agitation 
should begin and be mainly carried on by 
Indian exporters, as little Ceylon is but as 
" the fly on the wheel " when compared with 
the exporting interests of all India. 
A NEW CEYLON TEA COMPANY. 
The Investors' Guardian (of Feb. 9.) has the 
following details of a new uudertakin}; : — 
Kobonella Estates Company of Ceyloti, Limited, 
(69,280). — Eegistered January 29ih, with a capital 
of £30,000, in 1,200 prelerred shares of £10 each 
and 18,000 ordinary sh ares of £1 each to acquire 
the four estates known as Deanston'», Kobonella, 
Horakanda and Meeua;;ella, in tiie Central pro- 
vince of Ceylon, to adopt an aj^reenient witli 
J Greig and others and carry on the bu.'iness of plant- 
ers, farmers, graziers, cultivators and growers of 
tea, coffee, cardamoms, cocoa and oi her crops, 
miners, merchants, ship-owners, agents, etc. The 
subscribers are : — 
Shares. 
JR Pnghes, 30, Mincing Lane, E.G., Merchant 500 
E B Smith, The Cedars, Norwood, Gentleman, 
Director of Balmoral Estates Company. 600 
E S Anderson, Oak Bank, Elgin, Planter. 500 
T J Anderson, Dunster House, iSdincing Lane, 
E.C., Tea Share Broker. 1 
JiN Layton, 30 Mincing Lane,E.C., TeaBiokor. 1 
E J Young. 9, Fenchnrch Av. E.G., Planter 50 
E J House, 66, Old Broad Street, E.U., C.erk. 1 
Minimum subscription (if a v .siiaies offered to 
public) 450 preference and 9,500 ordinary shares. 
The number of directors is not to be less ihan 2 
nor more than 4 ; the first are E S Ander.son, J K 
Hughes and E Bowden-Smitli ; qualification £5 lO ; 
remuneration £50 per annum. Registered office, 66, 
Old Proad Street, E.G. 
